Western Exhibitions is thrilled to announce the inaugural “Western Exhibitions Drawing Biennial,” a salon-style, ceiling-to-floor celebration of works on paper by gallery and affiliated artists celebrating our commitment to drawing and works on paper. The approaches on view will capture the current state of contemporary drawing practices while placing a focus on the gallery artists’ core concerns of personal narratives and cosmologies, identity and gender, sexuality, pattern and exuberance, all with a keen attention to materiality.

We’ve been kicking this idea around ever since overhearing a conversation at the inaugural EXPO Chicago between curators Shannon Stratton and Mark Pascale. They were admiring our “especially rich program devoted to drawing” (Shannon’s words, we think. She’s contributing an essay to the show!). This led us to the realization that—by god yes—Western Exhibitions loves and prioritizes drawings and works on paper! This was a totally organic development, one not dictated by a mission statement, and something that took an outsider to notice as at that point, we didn’t think the gallery had a particular focus other than work we thought was good and important.

The show will open the 2021 season, beginning on January 8, running through February 20. We doubt, alas, that we’ll be able to have an opening reception by then so the show will be supplemented by robust multimedia offerings on our website and Vimeo page. Stay tuned!

Artists included:

Dan Attoe
Marshall Brown
Elijah Burgher
Amanda Joy Calobrisi
Jessica Campbell
Lilli Carré
Ryan Travis Christian
Courttney Cooper
Kareem Davis
Edie Fake
Joey Fauerso
Julia Schmitt Healy
Andrew Hostick
Richard Hull
Dutes Miller
Paul Nudd
Robyn O’Neil
Michael Pellew
Steve Reinke
Stan Shellabarger
Geoffrey Todd Smith
Deb Sokolow
Ruby T
Frances Waite
Cathrine Whited